Dan Brauning joined the Pennsylvania Game Commission as the Ornithologist in 1990, he now juggles the multi-faceted issues of bird and mammal research and management as the Supervisor of the Wildlife Diversity Program. Duties include setting budgets, coordination and dissemination of research results, oversight of personnel, and promotion of 'non-game' issues. Dan assists with a number of state and regional projects, including the advisory role of Project Director of the 2nd Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas Project (2004-2008).

He received a BS in Biology from Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA in 1979 and then went on to receive a MS from the Interdisciplinary Program in Ecology, at the Pennsylvania State University (1982). His thesis was on nest-sites selection strategies of the American kestrel. Prior to coming to the Game Commission, Dan served as Project Coordinator of the first Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas Project. He completed that effort as editor of the book, the Atlas of the Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania (1992). In 2000 he co-authored, with Gerald McWilliams, The Birds of Pennsylvania.

Dan was born and raised within the city limits of Philadelphia. He had formative outdoor experiences in the extensive park system of that city and on farms of extended family in Nebraska and Kansas. He is happily married to Marcia and father of three boys. Hobbies include his sons' sporting events, bird watching, ecotourism, and gardening. He is active in his church.